


Toybox

by TheStarSave44



Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Canon Compliant, Depression, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mental Health Issues, Muteness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, but I promise it's a good time overall, look some of the humans had some screwed up pasts, nonbinary characters - Freeform, selective mutism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 05:52:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19144864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarSave44/pseuds/TheStarSave44
Summary: 9 humans live in a town full of monsters.When some unknown entity begins possessing each of them, and bringing them to an entirely separate world, which is even more magical than their own..They are forced to come together to make it stop, and to keep it from destroying both worlds.A lot of snark comes out of it.





	1. Kris

**Author's Note:**

> regarding a thing in this fic, I headcannon Undertale Gaster as a lot nicer, and just a giant nerd but Deltarune Gaster is  
> not like that  
> mostly so that the story makes more narrative sense.
> 
> another thing, this chapter will most definitely be my shortest chapter, but it will probably be the one that was hardest to write, and those two things are BOTH because all of the events in it take place in game.
> 
> and ANOTHER thing, this is my first /published/ fic, but I've written for both Undertale and Deltarune's worlds excessively, so hopefully this is good

 

"ONCE UPON A TIME..

THERE WERE TWO RACES.

HUMANS.

AND MONSTERS.

THEY LIVED IN HARMONY FOR A LONG TIME.

ONE DAY, WAR BROKE OUT. THE MONSTERS, DESPERATE TO SAVE THEMSELVES, ACQUIRED 7 HUMAN SOULS.

THEY WON THE WAR, AND PROVED THEIR INNOCENCE BY SPARING THE HUMANS FROM DESTRUCTION AND BANISHMENT.

THE TWO RACES BEGAN TO LIVE TOGETHER ONCE MORE, AND BLENDED INTO ONE SOCIETY.

ONE DAY, FOUR CHILDREN WITH AN UNLIVED FATE AND POWERFUL MAGIC BECAME FAMILY. TOGETHER, THEY CREATED A WORLD TO PLAY IN, FULL OF HEROIC STORIES AND EVEN MORE MAGIC THAN THEIR OWN WORLD.

UNKNOWINGLY, THEY CREATED A LIVING WORLD, AND OFTEN PLAYED IN IT. THEY BROUGHT LIGHT AND PURPOSE INTO THEIR CREATION'S LIVES. _THE DARKENERS._ THE CHILDREN CALLED THEMSELVES _THE LIGHTENERS._

AND THEN.

AND THEN.

THE CHILDREN ABANDONED THE DARK WORLD, ONE BY ONE.

CHAOS ENSUED. THE WORLD GREW FRACTURED IN ITS ABANDONMENT.

NOW.

NOW THE DARKNESS OF THAT WORLD IS GROWING EVEN STRONGER.

NOW.

NOW IS THE TIME TO LEAD THOSE CHILDREN BACK TO THAT WORLD FROM THEIR OWN."

The void echoes, as thousands of voices mutter in the background. Most are too crazy to understand anything, long ago driven mad by the sensory deprivation, the constant whispering, and the general mixture of everyone's consciousnesses in a puddle.

W.D. Gaster doesn't understand why he seems immune to it all. But he has another chance, perhaps. To see his friends. To see his _**sons.**_

He can't just let it slip through his fingers.

"I CAN ONLY HOPE 'THEY' ARE READY.

...

I KNOW I AM."

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


"ARE YOU THERE?

ARE WE CONNECTED?”

Gaster doesn’t truly know the nature of the entity- sure, he knows that it doesn’t belong to any world he knows. That it is sentient, and sees their world as a fantasy to be played with. 

And he knows another thing, that it seems as if it- or they, perhaps- are ready.

A human SOUL appears in front of him, glowing red.

Gaster resists the urge to take the SOUL. It floats, bringing light into the darkness of the void. Just wait, he thinks. Despite how little he does know about them, something Gaster does _not_ want to know is how the entity would act towards him if it got angry. The doctor reminds himself that he just needs to wait for his plan to pan out.

“EXCELLENT. 

TRULY. EXCELLENT.

NOW.

WE MAY BEGIN.”

The world flickers on, and patterns swirl around Gaster. He isn’t sure if he can be seen or not, but he severely doubts it. It does not matter much, anyways.

“FIRST. WE MUST CREATE A VESSEL.”

W.D. Gaster begins to guide the entity through the process, giving options for them. He remembers the features flickering before him as he created a rough draft of the vessel, and offers the player choices in the vessel’s armor, too.

He smiles, praising the soul in front of him as it makes choices about the personality of the vessel. The entity chooses to give it the gift of voice, and says that it feels love towards what they’ve made. It chooses to give the vessel red as it’s favorite color, and sweet things as it’s favorite food. In all honesty, Gaster doesn’t care. But these questions will help the entity properly control the vessel, so they are important nonetheless.

“NAME YOUR VESSEL.”

The soul clearly hesitates, uncertain, but eventually settles on ‘Vess.’ They seem happy with the name.

Gaster is curious about something.

“AND, THE CREATOR?”

‘CC,’ the entity decides, much more quickly than last time.

Everything is in place now, for the worlds to collide.. for Gaster to return to his home. Gaster feels so excited, he might cheer, something he has done, he doesn’t know, never? Never.

Nevertheless, the doctor is ready.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

FOR YOUR ANSWERS.

FOR YOUR WONDERFUL

CREATION.

IT WILL HELP GUIDE YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY.

ARE YOU READY?"

The entity- CC, Gaster supposes, chooses yes.  He starts up the machine, a mix of metal and magic, to insert them into the world.

"Error - Foreign Entity Rejected."

"IT.. ERM.. ISN'T WORKING."

Gaster tries to connect them once more.

"Error - Foreign Entity Rejected."

"ALRIGHT. I HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. I HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL!

BUT JUST IN CASE. IF YOU LOSE CONNECTION! YOU MAY WANT TO REBOOT!

The void is shaking. A white light glows sharply, nearly blinding the whole void with how bright it is.

"YOUR

NAME

IS..."

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


"Kris!"

The door to their room slams open.

"You need to get up, or we will all be late! Do not make me set your siblings on you, my child."

Kris takes a second to process words. It's too early for this. Toriel- or, as Kris likes to call her, their Mom. Their siblings..

Kris sighs. Those two are probably Kris's best friends, which is a little bit pathetic, in their opinion. But their siblings, Chara and Frisk, know Kris very well. Better than anyone else in their life, anyways.

Kris has like, a dad, too. But he and Toriel split up a few years ago.

That doesn't matter. Kris isn't sure why they thought about that, all of a sudden.

Kris starts to drag themselves out of bed, when something feels pointy and sharp and WRONG. Like a butter knife in their chest, or falling out of a tree onto a rock. After a few moments, while the feeling of being stabbed haven’t gone away, Kris has gotten used to it.

They’re used to weird stuff like that, if Kris is honest with themselves. Random pains, headaches, emotions that aren't theirs, and the feeling of wanting to scream without exactly knowing why. 

Kris feels numb all over. It's strongest in their chest, where that dull, stabbing pain was.

Everything already feels extremely irritating, and Kris hasn't even been awake for 2 minutes. They scowl.

Kris rolls out of bed, though, landing on the floor. They realize they must've fallen asleep fully clothed again, because they already have a full outfit on.

They always wearing the same ratty hoodie over their clothes, though, so it's not like anyone would notice if they rewore the same clothes for the third day in the row.

Kris goes to stretch, like they always do in the morning, but they can't.

They try again. They just can't.

Kris can't. MOVE. They can't! They try to frantically move around- but still nothing.

Their arms and legs are numb, and sit motionless.

In the 0.5 seconds they've had to process what's going on, something shoves them forwards, forcing them to walk and look around at everything in their room.

This is bad. This is really bad.

It's not like Kris uses ASL to communicate or anything!! And that ASL is specifically a language you use your HANDS and ARMS in! It's not like they always need to be moving! It's not like they like having bodily autonomy!

This is really, really bad.

The force keeps pushing on them, forcing them to stare at certain objects, wanting input on them. Kris doesn't have much to think about anything. It's just all the junk on their mostly empty side of the bedroom, in their opinion.

Then the force shoves them until they're forced to look at everything on their brother's side. Kris is still panicking, and this does not help at all. They KNOW that they're invading Asriel's privacy! Maybe he won't notice them moving all his stuff..

Even worse, though..

They get dragged into another room - the one their two younger siblings share. It's almost identical in layout, but there's not much else to note about it. They look at some bandages here, a plush there, a small handheld knife, books, rocks, puzzles. Kris knows all of this is wrong- rummaging through their things, and even stealing a piece of chocolate from the stash on one of the shelves.

Chara is going to kill them.

They pause in front of a mirror.

It’s only me, Kris thinks to themself, lies to themself. It's only me- nothing is wrong.

The rest of the morning begins to drag, as Kris quickly realizes that they can't speak [not that they'd want to], move on their own, or even just stay put instead of moving wherever this.. thing shoves them!

They can feel a storm of something brewing. Anger, probably.

_ Yeah, keep looking around at pointless objects around the house, it's not like I'm RUNNING LATE OR ANYTHING. _

_ Why do I have to flush the toilet seventeen times??? _

_ Am I just dissociating really hard or am I actually possessed? _

_ I’m going crazy. _

_ Why am I staring at this photo- I.. I have better things to do than this, I.. _

_ God, I miss him... _

_ I’m actually going crazy. Mom, Frisk, Chara, it’s finally time to send me to a mental hospital. _

Kris needs their morning medicine and some caffeinated soda.

By the time they drag themselves into the living room, Kris wants desperately for this all to be a dream brought on by insomnia and one too many 3 AM Hershey's kisses. They're having trouble breathing through all the static and numbness, and they can't take care of themselves at all this morning.

Their lack of morning medicine is especially concerning. Kris takes it for some of their mental disorders. Insomnia, depression, severe anxiety, PTSD, ADHD..

Medicine doesn’t make all of it go away, but it makes all those issues seem manageable in comparison to what the world feels like without it.

This static is already getting frustrating. 

Kris is suddenly hugged by their youngest sibling. They came out of nowhere! Frisk's soft sweater, warmth, the bandaid on their cheek. The way they see the best in everyone, and love almost _everyone_.

It makes Kris feel warm inside, the way only Frisk’s hugs can. Which is probably why Frisk and Chara are the only ones allowed to hug Kris [besides Asriel, of course.]

'Morning, Kris!!'

"Good morning. Your hair is a mess." Chara chimes in. Kris never sees one without the other.

Kris don't remember the last time they brushed their own hair. It's become routine to let Chara do it.

'I got you breakfast. Here, Kris.'

Kris smiles at Frisk as they try to reach up and fix the locket hanging over their shoulders, adjusting the chain. Chara brushes their hair. Frisk brushes off their hoodie. It's amusing, almost, watching their little siblings flutter about and turn themself into something presentable.

Kris climbs in the car, grateful to find that they can make more complex movements when they need to.

They had been worried they wouldn’t be able to climb into Toriel’s minivan, what with having frozen limbs and all.

Kris thinks they should tell someone what’s going on. The way they’re being shoved forwards with every step, and the horrible static. They want to, at least.

Kris doesn’t remember the last time they spoke. No one minds their selective muteness to much- after all, Frisk is physically mute, and everyone can communicate with them just fine. So no one tries to force them to speak..

But they need to. All other communication methods seem to have gone out the window.

Kris tries, but..

nothing.

That’s to be expected. They can try again, but still.

Nothing.

Kris tries to scream. Not a note comes out.

If Kris was panicking before, then now? Their mind starts screaming. They have no outlet. The whole car ride, as Toriel talks about Asriel’s visit [god, Kris can hardly think about it, and they’re not sure whether out of nervousness or anger or excitement,] and Chara flaps their arms excitedly, Kris is screaming.

There’s no cars around when they get there. Jeez, Kris wonders just how late they made everyone this morning. Toriel steps out, leading Kris, Frisk, and Chara through the door of the school and into the hallway.

“Be good today, my children. I will see you at three PM."

‘Bye Kris, bye Chara, bye Mom, I love you!’ Frisk signs, smiling happily. They take a few steps backwards, nearly trip over their own feet, and turn to run off to their 6th grade classroom on the 2nd floor.

"Goodbye Kris, I love you very much, even though you made us late. Goodbye, Mom.

Have a nice day, alright?"

Kris is quiet, and watches...

something.

A huge box pops up- like a screen, since it's paper thin. The SOUL- Kris's SOUL- chooses Yes.

And Chara's running off, then, to their class in the 7th grade area.

That's never happened before. Not outside of a SAVE point, anyways.

Something is going on.

And Kris doesn't know WHAT it is.

But they want it to stop.

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


Kris doesn't know how they got themselves into this mess, but boy do they sure want to get it out of it.

Well, actually. Kris kind of knows how they got into this mess.

They were unable to protest. Normally, Kris wouldn't straight up disobey, especially after coming in late today, but they might've just sat back down and done their work instead of listening to Ms. Alphys. She’s too much of a pushover to do much about it, and everyone in class knows it.

Instead, because of whatever the hell is going on, they got shoved into a hallway. Where Susie, the rudest, cruelest, person in town, is eating chalk.

God. Dammit.

And now? They're being shouted at and slammed against the metal lockers by her. BANG! Kris can feel the bruise forming in their shoulder. They do their best not to show any weakness. They have practice putting on an emotionless mask, and they do so now. Susie keeps yelling at them as they’re pinned against the wall, staring at the floor, struggling to breathe with their shirt collar pinned against their neck. Their long hair easily hides their face. Susie is lecturing them about not speaking. And about what she assumes they're thinking, which is extremely incorrect. Susie thinks they’ll get her expelled, when truly Kris doesn’t really care, and their main thought is that they would prefer not to get beaten up. Kris, though, is also almost completely sure they’re either going to get beat up or straight up killed soon. Yes, here it comes. Susie is grinning, spitefully- one could call it almost evil.

“Kris..

how do you feel… about losing your face?”

Kris feels themselves get picked up and pulled closer and closer to Susie’s mouth.

To their surprise, though, instead of their face being eaten, they feel themself hit the ground with a quiet thump.

“You know, Kris. You have a good mother.

It’d be a shame to make her bury her child.”

Susie sighs. “Let’s get this over with.” Kris swears she says some other words, but they don’t know what they were. They were spacing out to the tune of static and the cold, tiled, hallway floor. Their SOUL chooses something, but neither Kris- or Susie, apparently, cares what it was.

Kris stands, drags themselves across the floor, and stops to listen to Susie say something rude about how slow they’re being. God, Kris knows they should be paying attention in the face of the meanest person in 9th grade, but they’re having trouble. The feeling of disconnection from themself is getting stronger and stronger.

They fade back into awareness when they realize that the door seems to be leaking darkness, and that this..

this is where Kris used to play a game with Asriel, Chara, and Frisk. One based off of the symbol on their carpet- and the one that Kris has now on their locket.

As the shadows drip out of the door, Kris can feel themselves panicking. This is stupid- they want to go home and sleep until this day is over, they don’t want to see the stacks of paper and toys that the four turned into a story full of knights and magic and heroes, they want- no, NEED to get out of HERE-

Kris finds themself walking inside.

Step.

Papers litter the floor.

Step.

Susie keeps commenting on how weird this closet is.

Step.

A crude drawing of three smiling knights and a mage lands right next to Kris’ foot.

Step.

The door slams behind them

Step.

Susie is shouting for whoever slammed it to let them out.

Step.

The floor begins to collapse.

Susie and Kris are shoved together as more and more drawings and pages of writings fall- as the world around them collapses. The floor beneath them disappears- and they’re falling, and Susie is screaming. 

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


When Kris wakes up.

Jesus, when Kris wakes up..

They're in a crouched position, and their, well, everything hurts. They barely have time to process anything, because as soon as they stand up, Kris is being forced forwards again.

Great.

The staticky numbness that comes DOES help with the pain of falling, at least. While they walk through what seems like..

well.

Asriel was always good at art. He made drawings of the places in the world he and them played in.

This looks like the snowy area of that world- complete with the chalk dust creatures and the bouncing balls on string said to live there. Black goop that drips out of cracks in the walls, and doodles of eyes are scribbled everywhere.

And. Well.

Kris is dressed in their persona's armor. With a pale pink sword at their side, and a short, red cape that barely extends past their right shoulder. It's even got the blue stripe and the locket-like pin in it.

It's identical, in every sense of the word. Kris is questioning their sanity further. They don't dream this vividly. Only that, insanity, or drugs could explain this. This weirder-than-anything-ever experience. Kris figures it's probably insanity, but who knows.

At least whoever- whatever- is shoving them around seems to be good at puzzles. It helps Kris get to the correct answer long before they can even remember it.

Susie is shouting again.

“Hey, don’t scare me like that, dumbass! Unless you WANT to get clocked in the face!

Anyways, enough screwin’ around.. we need to find a way to get outta here.

…

Uh… where IS here, anyways?”

Good, question, Susie. Kris isn’t quite sure yet, even though they have a pretty good idea.

“Whatever. YOU got us into this mess, YOU can get us out.”

_ Wh- how did I get us into this mess? If anything, YOU’RE the one who did, because you stole the chalk! _

“Lead the way, Kris.”

_ Wait, really? _

“Oh my god. Nevermind, you walk WAY too slow.”

_ Yeah, that’s what I thought. _

....

Kris tries to remember everything they can about this place, as they slide down the well-worn grooves in the ground.

There are always new villains- new friends, to be dealt with. But the last adventure they were supposed to have was left unfinished, wasn’t it..?

They were supposed to help the king of spades, who was beginning to become unraveled, and then with the help of the 4 kingdoms defeat an unknown entity. Asriel wouldn’t tell them what it was, being the game’s DM and all.

But the prince of spades actively tried to make them unable to finish their quest, trusting his father. He didn’t know any better- he was innocent. 

But of course, he has magic, like all the other darkeners. Magic that can harm.

And a shadowy, prince of spades-like figure is standing on a pillar.

Kris has a bad feeling about this.

...

A sharp spade wooshes past Susie.

_ "Run!!!" _

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


"Once upon a time, a legend was whispered among shadows.

It was a legend of HOPE.

It was a legend of DREAMS.

It was a legend of LIGHT.

It was a legend of DARK.

This is the legend of DELTARUNE. 

For millennia, light and dark have lived in balance, bringing peace to the world. But if this harmony were to shatter… a terrible calamity would occur. The sky will run black with terror. And the land will crack with fear. Then, her heart pounding… the Earth will draw her final breath.

Only then, shining with hope, will heros appear at worlds’ edge.

Humans,

Monsters,

And princes of the dark.

Marked by the Deltarune.

Only they can seal the fountains and banish the angel's heaven.

Only then will balance be restored, and the world saved from destruction.

Today, the fountain of darkness- the geyser that gives this land form- stands tall at the center of the kingdom.

But recently, another fountain has appeared on the horizon… and with it, the balance of light and dark begins to shift."

  
  


-•o•-

 

 

 

_ The rest of that day feels like a blur. _

_ Fighting, sparing, friendship, weird food... _

_ That thing controlling me. _

_ At least it didn't force me to fight. _

_ At least it had a sense of humor. _

_ At least it knew how to make people happy. _

_ At least it knew how to talk to them right. _

_ At least it didn't hurt my friends. _

_ At least we saved the day. _

_ At least it always brought me back to that burning, healing, light. _

_ But... _

_ I've been so blind, god. _

_ I've never even realized it. Not until today. How much everyone tries to make me into the person they want me to be. How much I've been in Asriel's shadow. The only four people in this town who don't try to make me into someone else are Frisk, Chara, Susie, and Noelle.  _

_ Yet, Susie doesn't even know me. Not yet. She sees me as whatever-is-possessing-me's personality, not mine. Noelle only sees me as the trickster I pretend to be. _

_ I'm sure they won't mind learning who I really am. I hope not, anyways, though I can't stop worrying over it. _

_ The static's gotten louder over the course of the day. The pain's been getting worse, too. But both of those things pale in comparison to being forced to talk to the people in my hometown after being overly social in the dark world already! Someone please kill me, that would be much better than being forced to talk to all of these people and listen when I'm already tired. _

_ But, in all honesty. _

_ I want control over my own body. _

_ I want control over my own /life./ _

_ I don't know how to get the second one, yet. It'll be a lot of work, and I'm probably going to have trouble. Especially with Mom and Dad- they've always wanted me to be like /him/. _

_ The first one, though.. I have an idea. It's going to be hard to pull off, but if my insomnia works in my favor for once, I think I might be able to. _

_ I'll plan it like a prank, just in case whatever's controlling me can read my thoughts. _

_ Hah.. hah... _

  
  


-•o•-

  
  


Kris goes to bed early...

and thank the gods, they actually manage to GET TO SLEEP. Kris hates their insomnia so much sometimes. They always wake up in the middle of the night a lot when they forget to take their medication.

Kris mostly wanted the darkness so that they could be the most dramatic child possible. Oh, and the fact that everyone is asleep, and won't hear them walking around at this hour. That's a reason.

 

Kris shakes a little, trying to shake of the static and regain control, as they've done a few other times..

and.. success! Kris rolls out of bed and stands, drooping. Their hair covers their face. The world around them is dark- the only light eerie and green, coming from the stars on the walls.

Kris trudges towards the center of the room, dragging their feet and making scraping noises across the carpet.

They suddenly stand up straight as they reach the middle of the room,

reach into their chest,

and pull out their SOUL.

Before throwing it onto a rusting, jagged, bird cage, and watching happily as the door locks into place.

Kris grins, reaching into their pocket and pulling out a knife.

They turn to the camera, revealing their red eyes, and grin even more.

Kris laughs, sharply, darkly.

_ I dare you to try and control me **AGAIN**. _

Then, still carrying the knife, Kris slowly drags themselves back to bed.

They collapse into the blankets, knife in hand.

The numbness is gone.

_ The pain is gone. _

**_The static is gone._ **

Kris falls comfortably into sleep.


	2. Layla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should have mentioned this before but I'm not going to have a set ~schedule~ for when these come out. They get published when I finish with them, pretty much. I mean to keep it to less than or up to a month between updates, though.  
> Go follow my tumblr to hear me ramble about Undertale stuff, as well as to see my art! I'll be posting art of the character designs as I finish them, so be on the lookout for those as well. Tumblr here: https://thelostsoul44.tumblr.com/

"ARE YOU THERE..?

ARE WE CONNECTED..?"

The bright red soul appears before him.

"EXCELLENT. TRULY, EXCELLENT.

I DID NOT EXPECT  _ THAT _ TO HAPPEN.

KRIS IS ONE OF THE MEEKEST OF THE HUMANS. VERY INTERESTING, INDEED.

NEVERTHELESS.

YOU STILL WISH FOR A VESSEL.

UNFORTUNATELY. VESS IS NOT YET READY.

WHAT I DID FOR KRIS CAN BE UNIVERSAL. HOWEVER, IT TAKES TIME TO ADJUST FOR EACH OF THE HUMANS.

AND I STILL NEED TIME TO FIX VESS'S... ISSUES."

The soul in front of him almost seems annoyed. Gaster tries to get to his point.

"I, HOWEVER, HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THE MEANTIME.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTOL IT AS MUCH.

HOWEVER.

IT IS MUCH, MUCH EASIER THIS WAY.

I WILL ADJUST  ALL OF THE CODE WITH THE REMAINING DETERMINATION SOULS. 

YOU TEND TO BREAK OUR LITTLE TOYS VERY EASILY, DON'T YOU?"

No response, but the howling of wind.

"YOUR 

NAME

IS..."

-•o•-

Layla, as usual, wakes up to ice on her fingertips. She IS part ice elemental, after all.

The tall girl thinks about her past, as she shakes the usual ice off and ties her usual ribbon around her long red hair.

She’s a wizard- born to her uncle’s sister and a human. Her aunt’s been dead for awhile, though Layla knew her better than her parents. They died a couple of years before she fell down. 

Layla only has a few memories of them.

Now she lives with her cousins and uncle- Chilly, Snowy, and Uncle Icy.

Layla pulls on her shirt, skirt, and leggings. She adores them- of course she does.They were made in the style, color, and exact size she likes them, since she made them herself.

Sewing supplies, string, and fabric sit in neat piles around her desk.

She picks up the plastic knife sitting on her desk, and slips into her boots. This morning's brand of silence fills the room.

It’s all simple. It’s all routine. It’s all quiet- and it’s perfect for Layla.

Until it isn’t.

Everything suddenly feels too cold. Her thinking is too slow, and even then, she has trouble remembering what exactly she was thinking.

Something’s wrong? Layla isn’t sure yet.

She might wave it off as forgetting something, or her thoughts running a bit slower than usual. That isn't out of the ordinary for the morning time.

Layla begins to take quiet steps towards breakfast, her long skirt swishing behind her.

 

-•o•-

 

Layla finds herself running her hands over the pin on her shirt's collar. It’s just a piece of smooth and round glass, as brightly colored of a blue as her SOUL, but it's comforting.

She does this often, but today she can't seem to stop for anything. She is normally fine with doing something else for a couple seconds. But she can't stop. It's a little obsessive, but maybe she's just having a day where she stims a lot. Still, her thoughts are slow and it's starting to hurt to move, so that might actually be a problem at the same time.

Layla drags herself through the hallways to get her coat. She never wears the thing, but the icicles forming anxiously on her fingertips make her want to bundle up.

Layla freezes.

And sees Susie and Kris, wandering the hallway.

Well.

Layla isn't scared of them. She is as tall as them- older than them- intimidating, though she doesn't try to be- and has strong magic. However, has Layla heard of them. The two both have a somewhat.. negative reputation, in school. In town, even.

And.

Layla normally would leave them alone. She isn't the curious type- and unless someone is hurting someone else, isn't the type to snitch on people.

But something pops up in the corner of her eye, and before Layla knows it, she is being forced towards the duo, tugged along like string through a needle. Her locker is left hanging open, coat half falling out.

Layla watches silently, unsure what to do.

Kris forces open the door, and shadows loom from it. It feels empty- dark. But comforting..

The two go in, and Layla is kind of intrigued. She feels it pull at her, like a black hole, but there's a nervousness in it too.

She takes a few steps back, hesitating. What even is this thing? But no- she has no choice, it seems, to go in.

Layla's in the darkness with Kris and Susie- at the edge of the black hole, gravity swirling around, ready to suck her in.

The door slams behind them, and Layla begins to scream as the floor collapses underneath them.

She falls, 

falls,

falls,

falls....

-•o•-

The first thing Layla hears when she wakes up is laughter, and a gravelly, loud, voice.

"We made it! We actually made it back here, Kris!!!" More laughing.

Then silence for a few moments.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but we'll figure that out."

More silence.

"Wait, what? The other thing? What other thing?"

Layla opens her eyes to chalk dust snow, swirling around her, and Kris pointing straight at her.

Well, some VERSION of Kris. This one has blue skin, and wears a suit of armor. Layla quickly stands up, brushing the snow off of her-

wait, this isn't her shirt. It's a cloak- a dark blue, thick, velvety type of cloak, with her pendant keeping it held together. This is the kind of cloak she would make for herself, if she had the time.

When Layla looks down to her hands, she quickly realizes they are pale blue.

Under ordinary circumstances, Layla would probably faint, or scream, or both. Right now, however, something keeps her standing upright and quiet.

'...she's staring at us.' Kris signs.

"Yeeeep."

'Are you going to do something?'

"No? Yes? Uhhhh. I'm not gonna punch her?"

'Just don't do anything atrocious, like war crimes.'

"Jeez, Kris, lower your standards why don't you?" Susie laughs. "Hey! You! Are you listening?"

Layla makes a 'sort of' motion with her hand.

"What are you doing here? Did you follow us just to try and get us in trouble?!"

"No." Layla states simply, but it's all she can really get out. She pauses, and takes another breath. "I was curious, is all. The door was being very weird," she notes, "What is this place? What is with these strange outfits..? This is exactly the kind of thing I would wear, but I didn't put this on."

Susie looks up for a moment, before sighing and groaning.

"Ralsei is  so much better at explaining this shit. Kris, do you want to?"

'Not really! But she- it's she right?'

"Mhm."

'She does deserve an explanation, even if it's a shitty one.'

"I guess....

This is the dark world. It's, as far as Kris and I can tell, a whole different world inside the school closet. When you come in here you get cool clothes."

'It's like an anime girl transformation with less sparkles and more falling involved.'

That metaphor clarified nothing for Layla.

"What's your name, or do you just want to be called 'you' for the whole day?"

"..my name is Layla."

"Cool. Susie."

'Mine's Kris.'

"Hey, don't tell anyone about this place or.. I mean, just promise not to tell anyone about the dark world."

'Maybe if we like her, we might actually have,' Kris gasps, 'a THIRD friend! That'd be great, huh?' They pause, then turn towards Layla.

'But seriously, don't tell  ** anyone ** about this place.'

Kris smiles. It seems too creepy for Layla to argue with. Layla usually tries to keep her promises, but this one seems harmless, so why not just get it over with so she can go back?

"I promise not to tell anyone."

-•o•-

"..so. Stop me if I am wrong about anything." Layla is talking to Ralsei. He was waiting for the group at an abandoned town, and Kris and Susie seem like best buddies with him. He seems so much kinder, but at the same time, there's an air of creepiness to him.

"This prophecy states that both of our worlds are dying. We are supposed to save the world. We do this by finding the others, first. Susie, Kris and I are 'lighteners,' and you and Lancer are 'darkeners.'" That whole dying thing makes sense to Layla, honestly. Both her world and this one seem like they're slowly being killed, despite how many people try to fix it.

"This world, until yesterday, was run by a dictator-like king.

It is now run by his son, Lancer and the other prince and princesses. Shard, a prince of diamonds, and a Rudinn- Kathy, the princess of hearts, as well as a Hathy- and Clover, a unique type of monster that resembles a Hydra, but is a cat instead of a snake. Her name explains itself. They are ruling instead of the other kings because they're scared they could get corrupted."

"That's right!" Chimes Ralsei. "They've been very good at so quickly setting up a government.."

They're passing through some weird forest now. The whole party stops while Kris and Susie work together to get all the marshmallow stars they can from the trees.

"Kris, Susie, Lancer, you, and I are supposed to save both worlds from destruction by closing all but one of the fountains that show up.

For now, though, I am simply expected to train, and to help people. No one is even sure how long it will take to  find all of the heroes."

"I think you understand all of it. At least you seem like a better listener than Susie!" Ralsei laughs, while Susie shouts in the distance.

"I heard you talking shit!"

"Oh no."

Part of Layla doesn't want any part in this whatsoever. The other part would absolutely LOVE to go on a fantasy filled adventure, full of light and laughter, but..

Well, she hasn't met Lancer yet, who is the last of 'the Fun Gang!' They're all still walking to 'the nearest door' [Layla has no idea what this means,] to get to the one at the castle.

And she still doesn't trust Susie, or Kris, or Ralsei. Then again, Layla knows she isn't the best at reading people sometimes, even if her judgement is often right.

She decides to wait and see. That's usually the best course of action.

-•o•-

Okay, sometimes waiting and seeing is not the best course of action.

Neither Susie nor Kris apparently have the most trust in people, and have completely abandoned Layla to go hang out with Lancer, [Ralsei said he wanted to make sure that Lancer was doing alright and running everything properly before running off to join them], and they've left Layla alone with the rest of the royalty.

Someone- who introduces himself as Rouxls Kaard, informs Layla that the people have been noticing... things. The only way he can describe them is things. Oddly destroyed buildings on the edge of the kingdom, black ink- they think it's ink? what else could it even be? weird goop?- mixed with the blood of injured, and even a few unidentifiable corpses.

Layla herself can't help but find everythingfeel like a book's plot, with her falling into place like thread does when she sews. She pulls at the loose dress she wears- it's comforting. But still, it feels as if something's wrong. Like someone else is there- answering yes and no in time with her, in her thoughts somewhere. But so far, it hasn't disagreed with her. It's been a similar entity to herself, quietly going along with what's happening.

Now, though, Layla finds herself craving wandering, craving to go and explore. This is something that she usually  hates doing. As Rouxls Kaard's words falter, she finds herself standing at the exit one moment, at the castle's entrance the next. Where is all that time going? Layla doesn't know. She's losing track of where she's going.

This castle is near one edge of the kingdom. Layla walks through a thick city, full of life. For some reason, though, many areas of it are blocked off- by people, buildings, cars, random objects.. and she finds herself not wanting to shove past them. Being unable to. It's too crowded and loud for her tastes, and everything is grating on her- even simply talking to the shopkeepers is becoming annoying, though few words are said.

Layla walks through the city, taking what must be an hour just to explore it. She settles on the outer edge of it, where the cheerful mood of the town abruptly cuts off into destruction and void.

There's a cliff that abruptly cuts off, on most of the city's edge. From here, she can see the purple of fields and smaller buildings fade into complete darkness. Many of the buildings between the cliff and that darkness are completely destroyed.

Layla pulls her cloak tighter around herself.

She knows someone is coming, just by the loud set of footsteps from behind her. Layla feels terrified for a brief moment. They talk loudly.

"Well, that's a shitshow if I've ever seen one." Susie comments, squinting at said shitshow. Internally, Layla thinks this is the most accurate descriptor of the damage possible. She calms down. It's only Susie.

"Yes, it seems like the fountain is causing the darkness of this world to get even more, well, dark." Comes Ralsei's voice. And Lancer is gasping- "We should go help!"

Layla wonders exactly how old he is.

"I'm 10!"

Layla realizes that she said that out loud.

She sighs a little bit, and smiles at the innocence of this child. No one THAT young should have to rule, but at least the rest of the Darkeners seemed older. Besides, they have Rouxls Kaard, the royal advisor, to help them.

Layla returns her focus to the destruction, slowly walking through it. Kris seems to be taking this seriously, and even more oddly, is the leader of the party. They lead the Fun Gang to a place where one of the corpses was. A black puddle lays there, next to a torn couch and a broken lamp.

The group, (or more accurately, Ralsei) leans down to collect samples of it. Layla is standing on the sidelines STILL, and she can't help but feel like she's being purposely excluded by Susie and Kris. Yet still, it's too much just to join the group- she feels a sort of nervousness at even trying to interact with them. She's an outsider, which is normal, but some odd part of her wants to join in, instead. She's starting to feel really feverish.

And, suddenly, as something catches her eye, Layla is forced to speak up.

"Kris! Do NOT eat the black goop!"

'Why not?' Kris signs, which sends droplets of the stuff flying everywhere. It's all over their hand.

"Oh my god. Kris.  Why not- who knows what effect that could have on you!"

Susie starts leaning down to scoop some up.

"Susie. Do not  encourage them." Layla groans, covering her face. "I cannot  believe you two."

"You're just scared! Besides, I'm hungry!"

"Then eat normal food."

'Normality is a social construct.'

"...that's fair."

Layla can't argue with that, damn it.

Ralsei speaks up.

"Maybe it's better to, uh, not eat the specimens? If we have time, I can bake you guys a cake when we get back..!"

That cake is almost definitely a lie.

"Oooh, a cake? That sounds good!" Lancer adds, pretending he was not also about to try and eat the black stuff.

"..actually, that does sound pretty good. Fine, I won't eat the black stuff."

Susie wipes it on her clothes, and Kris uses their cape as a napkin. Soon enough, the gang has plenty of samples, carried by Kris. But still, they're hoping to catch sight of a creature or just.. a thing that could have come in and done all of this destruction and black goop-ening.

After a long, uneventful walk, the group makes it to the edge between darkness and pitch black.

They have been wandering around, [for how long? a few minutes? a few hours?] when Layla sees a flicker out of the corner of her eye.

"I saw something."

"What?" Ralsei asks, surprised.

'What was it?'

"It was just a flicker- like a dark shape, coming out of there..."

"It was probably just your imagination, we've been out here for forever." Susie and Kris are playing a game Layla doesn't recognize.

They don't trust her, do they? Layla isn't sure why, as much as she thinks about it. She knows that she's heard bad things about both of them, though...

maybe that's why they don't trust others.

"We'll stay for a little longer. Maybe that was something."

Even Ralsei is getting restless. Layla, ever patient, normally wouldn't mind staying. But she feels really feverish, and her chest is starting to burn.

She still stays, nonetheless, even as the others start to head back. Layla wants to prove herself. That she knows what she doing. That she can  help .

After what feels like even more time, a trio of melted, smiling, pitch black figures appear. Well, they seem pitch black, anyways. Their colors keep flickering, mostly between being blindingly white and that pitch black color.

They are smiling too hard. The smallest one steps forwards, and slashes at her with what looks like a melting sword.

And Layla finds her SOUL moving on it's own, with no input. It is dodging well, but seeing that sight makes her feel like screaming.

The silence is playing too slowly.

She reaches out, with her hands suddenly covered in ice, as whirlwinds and shards of it float around her and into place. Layla directs the icicles towards the smiling figures.

They start frowning, scared and retreating.

"D-do not.. give me that  look. You have killed people. Haven't you?"

If the silence was playing slowly before, it is still as statue now.

They start frowning more, shrinking back into the darkness, as Layla attacks. She doesn't want to attack anymore, but she can see- see her SOUL choosing to do so, anyways. She doesn't like this.. The silence is playing far too quickly now, matching Layla's heartbeat. She isn't dodging well. Many attacks are flung her way as the shadows desperately try to defend themselves. Did she dodge? Layla can't see.. her senses are being cut off- they have been being cut off, she realizes, but now they're suddenly disappearing.

She can hear a pack of footsteps coming, distantly, right as the figures slip away. Layla turns around.

"I- I told you. I told you I saw something,  I told you -"

'Oh my god, are you okay?!'

 Layla doesn't know how to respond.

-•o•-

Susie catches her before she can fall. At least, that's what Kris tells her when she wakes up. Ralsei is healing her- she didn't even know he could do that, but Layla supposes it makes sense. 

Kris and Susie are being much calmer and quieter, than Layla has ever seen either be, whispering. Susie is carrying Lancer, who isn't speaking either, on her other shoulder.

Layla feels herself dropping into the cool and quiet. She's so tired..

She smiles, though. These people are kinder then she initially thought. She doesn't know why she's been worrying so much, still. What keeps telling her she should be afraid? What kept telling her that they were rejecting her..?

Lancer chatters on, making everyone laugh.

 

-•o•-

 

Layla truly wakes up by the time the human and monster portion of the group get to the Fountain. Sure, she was present and standing for the whole 'thanks for doing your job' part while returning the samples, but she was also dissociating. According to the rest of the group, she killed those shadow people. They also would've killed her if Kris hadn't noticed what was happening and forced the rest of the group to go back.

Layla watches as Kris uses their SOUL to take them home. A brilliant light shines through the silent corridor, and they land in an abandoned classroom.

 

With a quiet smile, Layla decides, on her own, to ask.

"Do you think I could come back with you two tomorrow?"

 

-•o•-

Layla drags herself through town, running straight into the crafts store.

The people here know her well. She feels herself relax a little. She often comes in here to buy materials for her commissions, her personal projects, and the clothes that she makes to sell.

"Edith, you are not going to believe the kind of day I've had.."

Layla mumbles, sitting at the table with the elderly monster.

"Let me guess, it was a bad one?"

Layla can only groan in response, holding her head in her arms as she leans on the table.

"That's what I thought. Have some saltines, dear."

"Thank you, Edith. It was- well, hard to describe. Do you have that bolt of pale pink calico in yet?"

"Not yet."

"How are you doing, ma'am?"

Layla simply nods, eating her saltine crackers without much thought about anything, really. She lets Edith speak, finishes the crackers, nods politely, and goes to pick out the few things she needs here.

Her hands are shaking too hard to really pick anything up. It's still too warm- it's been too warm all day, for her taste. Layla wonders if she has a fever. She drops the fabric, wrapped around its cardboard holder, and watches it come loose.

It sits there, in this slightly dark little corner of this tiny little shop. Split red velvet, much brighter than the shades she has at home.

"Is everything alright back there?"

"Yes, it's fine!"

She picks it back up and hastily puts it away.

"It was nice seeing you, Miss Edith!"

Layla walks out of the store empty handed, feeling oddly horrible.

She walks home, and walks to her apartment on the dimly lot first floor of the building. Layla fumbles for her key.

"Howdy. Nice to see you home." Ah, Snowy. Layla can always count on him for a nice greeting- Chilly is probably off somewhere with his friends, and Layla doesn't blame him. She still wishes he would do more chores after he got home, though.

"...hello, brat." Layla smirks.

"Aw c'mon, that was uncalled for!"

"Your face is uncalled for. But Snowy, being serious for a moment.

I am very tired. Please leave me alone."

"Oh. What happened?"

"Nothing. I am just sick. Probably."

"Oh, alright, have fun dying then." Snowy smiles. Monsters never get sick- besides falling down, which is more equivalent to a human coma than any actual illness. Layla scowls and sticks her tongue out at her little brother.

She opens the door to her room, sighs, and collapses into bed.

-•o•-

Layla stares at the hovering SOUL. It illuminates everything in a bright blue light. Such bright light combines with the pale blue light from the windowthat seeps into her room. Soon, it will be sunrise.

She's sitting on her bed, holding her SOUL in one hand and petting the tidily made blanket with the other.

As she keeps staring at the SOUL, she can't help but feel like it's the thing that's been causing all of the oddities of today. All the times she acted like she normally wouldn't. All of that mistrust.

She slowly, very slowly, tears it away from herself, eyes glowing bright blue against her red hair.

She pulls it away slowly, wincing, before suddenly tearing it away. She stands- runs. Shoves her SOUL into her backpack. She zips it up.

As soon as she's done, Layla feels the startle of the usual constant ice at her fingertips. It hasn't been there all day. The room feels freezing. Ice surrounds her, and she watches contentedly for a few minutes, as the ice climbs the walls. 

Icicles form on her breath. It feels like jumping in a pool after spending an hour in the hot sun. She's okay, she's alright, and nothing is holding her back.

Layla sits back down on her bed, content.

And somewhere, outside of this reality, a skeleton screams in frustration.


	3. Brandon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just becoming monthly updates, huh

It's 4:30 AM, and Brandon doesn't know what he's doing anymore.

He wonders if Charlie feels as tired as he himself probably looks.

I mean, it's not like this is unusual, the two of them usually wake up early for morning training. Between Charlie doing Archery, Riflery, and Boxing, and Brandon doing Soccer, Boxing, and Track and Field, MK doing Track and Field and Soccer, and Mistro being a former heavyweight boxing champion, there's no lack of sports in this family. They go hardcore.

Yet still, Brandon is exhausted. He falters quickly, barely managing to get in 20 pushups before laying on the floor in a puddle of sweat and gym clothes.

"..Brandon? Are ya okay?" 

A groan escapes his lips, which _was_ meant to approximate something like 'probably, I'm not sure.'

"I'll take that as a no. Yer too big to carry, B."

"I know, I know," Brandon mumbles into the floor.

"Do ya need help?"

He doesn't say anything, at first, but the word "No," comes forced out of his lips. 

"Cool."

Brandon can hear Charlie walk out of the room, leaving him abandoned on the carpeting of the corner of their living room that they've affectionately come to call the 'gym.' 

He feels cold, and exhausted. After lying there for around half an hour, listening to the sounds of someone moving around downstairs, Brandon gets up and goes to get ready for the day. He silently hopes this weird tired energy won't follow him for the rest of the day. He also figures that it could be, maybe, that cold coming to haunt him. Again. Oh well. He still has stuff to do, even if all he really feels like doing is laying on the floor in a puddle.

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

Brandon, as usual, has lost track of time. His siblings try to help him, try to keep him on track, but today everyone was busy and he ended up taking an hour to do three of the things he needed to do this morning. Now he's running late. Again.

And on top of that, he can't find his binder anywhere. _Again._

To help him stay organized, Brandon has a binder with folders in it, and he uses a different folder for each class. It makes it a lot easier not to have to go looking for papers all the time, but at the same time, he also looses the BINDER now, too.

So he has to find it. Might as well, since he's already late. At least he has an excuse from his dad. His sibling MK, sisters Mari and Mistro, and Charlie are all already running off to their classes. He's the baby of the family.

Anyways.

Brandon knows he was hanging around in that closet the other day... on a dare, from some of the older monster kids. He hangs around with them often, since they're on the sports team with him, but sometimes they can suggest stuff that's a bit much, even for _him._ Or, they say things that make him feel sick to his stomach, and make him feel like punching someone. They'll dare him to say something, do something, make a scene and get in trouble- and then people will ignore him again. Sometimes he just wants to scream so that someone will actually notice him.

He's wandering in his thoughts again. Damn it. 

Brandon focuses back on the task. 

The binder. Getting to class. Right.

He attempts to gently shove the door open. When it doesn't open, Brandon yanks it, gripping the handle hard against his fingerless gloves. 

The door slams open, and he bolts inside.

Brandon looks around, picking things up and moving things aside in a search for the thing. Old playing cards and a torn stuffed animal lay abandoned, along with some scribbled art, junior jumble, a tiny toy axe..

Some people that Brandon doesn't recognize walk in. 

They see him, and the room fades into darkness. The floor starts shaking. 

"Wh-what the hell?! _What's going on?!"_

'There's someone here!' one of the figures signs.

"Can't he just leave?" another asks, in a voice that is inappropriately calm sounding for this situation.

"No, the door's slammed shut! Hey, kid, brace yourself!"

The floor gives out.

As he falls, the only thing Brandon can think is that _he just wanted to find his binder, for **fuck's** sake._

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

Ralsei has explained the legend to Brandon 3 times now, and Brandon silently thinks that he's being VERY ANNOYING, because he keeps zoning out and his brain goes on wild tangents. He's never been good at focusing on worldbuilding stuff in books, and this is _exactly_ what that is.

It's not like he's not actively participating in discussing things- on the contrary, he keeps asking things and chattering with the other three people. Which just makes him feel worse, because he doesn't want Ralsei to feel bad..

Speaking of the other three people.

Kris, Susie, and Layla. The kids that fell down with him, into this crazy world. Brandon knows nearly _nothing_ about them- he knows Kris and Layla because they're two of the other humans in town, and Susie because she's infamous, for some reason [she seems nice enough?] But that's about it.

Brandon tugs at the short cape that sits where his bandana would normally tie. He does his best to listen. It probably doesn't help that he wants to chatter along as well, though, and Brandon finds himself constantly [and accidentally] interrupting someone. So instead, as usual, his mind goes on tangents. When he's trying to listen. Damn it.

Earlier, Susie and Kris had talked to him- yelled at him a bit, but mostly talked- about keeping all of this quiet. He's never been the best secret keeper, but for something like this? He'll try his best.

"Do you think someone new is going to find their way into the closet _every day?"_ Susie asks, clearly annoyed at the idea just by her tone of voice.

Layla covers her mouth, and Kris starts giggling under their breath.

"What did I- oh." Susie sighs. "I didn't mean _that_ kind of in the closet, and you two know it."

'Brandon, Layla, give it to me straight. Are you gay?'

"Yes, I'm a lesbian." Layla replies, muffled through her hand. From his perspective, Brandon can see the smile Layla is trying very hard to hide.

"I can't give it to ya straight, I'm too gay." Brandon replies, before nearly bursting into a fit of laughter.

Kris simply gestures to both of them. 

'See, this is exactly what I mean! They're in the closet, Susie!'

Susie laughs. Loudly. It's a bit of a scary sound, but Brandon can't help but find himself [as well as the others] laughing along.

"Either way," Ralsei remarks, "we should hope that another person _does_ come each day. The sooner we can find all of the HEROES, the better." Ralsei seems to be trying to be serious, but he's stifling a smile too.

"Wait, I'm supposed to be a hero?" Brandon blurts out, before realizing he was supposed to be paying attention.

"..yeah. Brandon, it might help if you read my manual. Kris and Susie think it's a bit boring-"

'We literally used it to put someone to sleep but go off-'

"-but it covers the same things I'm saying."

Brandon pauses for a moment, before saying,

"Thanks dude, but I don't think it'll help. I'll just figure things out as I go, cool?"

He's internally freaking out, but Brandon doesn't have much to say. He just needs to process it. Really, he's _still_ processing the fact that all of this exists! It's a little overwhelming.

"Uh, sure! Just be careful, okay?"

"You got it, man!" Brandon says, and he feels genuinely cheerful. That happiness is quickly replaced by the sudden feeling of fear, of something lingering in the darkest shadows..

Brandon wonders why he's sitting here with a bunch of random people that he doesn't know, as they laugh and chatter around him.

Guards stand poised with weapons around the wagon, standing by as they let the group pass. A bright blue and bright red glow surround Kris and Layla, and Brandon looks down at his hands and they glow orange.

He suddenly feels very, very lonely, as his SOUL hovers in front of him.

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

Brandon sits in the throne room, quiet. He doesn't want to be quiet. He asks again, on the inside if he can speak. A window keeps popping up between the other's sentences, asking 'Do you want to speak?' Brandon watches his SOUL, in all its orange glory, choose the word NO each time.

_ Do you want to speak? No.  _

_ Do you want to speak? No. _

_ Do you want to speak? No. _

_ Do you want to speak? No. _

_ Do you want to- No, no no no no no no no no no no no no NO! _

He wants to contribute to the discussion, though. Most of the chairs for the rest of the heroes are empty, but everyone else is here, weighing in on Lancer's idea. 

_ Do you want to speak? _

_ No. _

Brandon wants to tell him what he finds silly- what he could do to help, but he isn't sure. Kris and Susie seem to have good ideas, though Kris is more reluctant to speak up. Susie encourages them gently. Layla seems happy to add in when she wants to, commenting on the damaged buildings are the crowded towns, but she doesn't talk as much as anyone else. Anyone besides Brandon, that is.

_ Do you want to speak?  _

_ No. _

He's forced to sit quietly and listen. It's not like he couldn't just add on his opinions, but something- his SOUL, he guesses- prevents him.

"I think we should definitely focus on reconstruction and protecting the civilians. The monsters outside can wait until we get a proper barrier between them and the kingdoms."

Brandon isn't sure who said that- he's pretty sure it's one of Clover's heads. The other points out that it would be better to just get rid of the stupid things.

Ralsei raises his hand. "Erm- excuse me! But that cannot happen until we find all the heroes, as the monsters seem to be coming from the fountain itself, and simply using the group we have now will not be enough.. and.... erm.."

Ralsei is shuffling back through his notes.

"The point is, Clover is correct. Protecting the citizens should be our top priority until we can properly destroy them."

Something dings.

"Meeting adjourned!" Lancer shouts. He grins as people filter out of the room, but slowly stops, frowning.

"What's up, Lance?" Susie asks, picking Lancer up by the back of his shirt and plopping him onto her shoulder. He sighs, leaning his head on his hands and sticking his tongue out. He sighs a bit more, seeming squished and tired.

"This whole ruling thing is _hard._ Even though I have Lesser Dad and Ralsei and Clover and Spark and Hathy and you nerds to help me, it's.. really hard."

"I'm not a nerd," Susie says, grinning a bit, "that's Layla and Ralsei's department." 

"Hey! I'm not a nerd-" "Hey! Am I being insulted _again-"_

The sound of two people that sound suspiciously like Layla and Ralsei start laughing, cutting themselves off. Brandon smiles.

"You're both huge fuckin nerds." Susie and Brandon reply in sync.

"Oh, give me _one_ example!" Layla replies, crossing her arms with that little smile.

"Your outfit in the light world. Ralsei's glasses." Susie is grinning just as much, crossing her arms back. She clearly enjoys this playful banter. Brandon wishes he had some popcorn to eat.

"Oh, clothes do _not_ count!"

"Fine then. Ralsei made a whole ass textbook."

"...fine. That's fair-"

Ralsei gasps dramatically. "I've been _betrayed-"_

"What about me?"

"I've seen you in the library all the time at lunch when I'm on my way to detention hall."

Layla looks to the side, sighing a bit and staring at the ground. She doesn't say anything, opting to play with her pendant instead.

Susie breaks the awkward silence after a few moments.

"...uh. Kris, did I say something wrong?"

'You ask me this like you think I know _anything_ about talking to people.'

"But. You do that. All the time? As the party leader?"

'It's easier here.'

"Welp, guess I'll die."

Kris gives Susie fingerguns. 'Epic.'

Layla sighs. "It is fine. I just do not.. really have anyone to hang out with, at school? And I really hate all the noise..."

Susie and Kris share worried glances. More silence sits in these moments, waiting to be broken once more.

'...well, uh- you can always sit with us. We don't really have anyone besides each other and Noelle.' Kris signs. They shake their hands afterwards, seeming anxious, while Susie pats their shoulder.

And Brandon, who had been listening to all of this quietly _\- why is he so quiet, he wants to speak even more, he doesn't understand-_ suddenly feels himself standing shakily, as one of the Rudinn step inside. 

"Prince Lancer! Excuse me, but there's been a request for the HEROES to be present at the site of the destroyed buildings..? The citizens are getting more and more worried."

The laughter is cut, the smiles drop, the teasing is gone. Suddenly they aren't all kids having fun- they're important figures with responsibilities and duties to this.. kingdom.

Brandon doesn't know if he's prepared for that. But he'll take on that role nonetheless, if it makes people happy.

 

-•o•-

 

'It's progress, Susie. We're getting better at talking to people. And no one's brought up Asriel around me yet, here..'

"I don't think the other humans care as much about your brother." Susie says with a little scowl. "You shouldn't worry so much about him, Kris. Remember, ya gotta focus on yourself!"

'Speaking of focusing on yourself, how are things going with Noelle, Susie?' Kris winks.

"Kris, I _will_ bite your face. _Don't test me."_

'Like how you want to bite Noelle's face off?'

"Oh! MY Go D. SH u T _UP, KR i S!"_

They're finally allowed to talk, really talk, after that speech. Brandon isn't sure what he said, but people were cheering and laughing, so he's pretty sure he did well? Normally Brandon all but  _dominates_ the stage, but he's feeling really out of it today. The others did well, particularly Ralsei, though calling Layla 'nervous' would be the understatement of the decade. The all were, a little bit, but poor Layla..

The more Layla is around Brandon the more that she both endears herself to Brandon and actually annoys him to death. He just wished she would stop drumming her nails on her pendant for two seconds because the clicking is irritating as hell and that she would stop screaming every time something remotely frightening popped up, and would maybe just. Emote? He can't fault her for being the quiet type, since he's the same way, but something about her just feels.. blank, and off. And NO, her being taller than him definitely does _not_ intimidate him or make him feel insecure, either. She doesn't intimidate him, with her blank stares and her height and the way icicles trail behind her like a FUCKIN ICE QUEEN-

Brandon can feel his own thoughts rambling. The stage is being magically folded up, shifting and changing so that it's as small as a wallet. He would ask how, but the obvious and only answer he would get would probably be 'magic.'

He sighs. It's weird, really. He hasn't thought once about school, or what he's missing. Despite the group's oddities, he feels at home here. He feels like he could be himself, and no one would mind or forget that he was there. If only he had the energy to speak up more..

The crowd listening to them speak is scattering, now. The others are talking between themselves, and between the darkeners.

Brandon smiles cheerfully at a group of little kids. He laughs, making jokes and trying his best to cheer them up.

They drag him to the broken buildings. The ruins of this place..

"It was our home.." the youngest kid whispers. "You'll be able to fix things, right..?"

"I- yeah. We'll try our hardest, kiddo."

He ruffles the little girl's hair, but the moment is cut off by a _scream._

It cuts the air in two. 

More people are screaming. One of the children is terrified in the face of a huge, shadowy creature.

And Brandon..? He'd been right there, and it was about to strike- he had to run. So he did, feeling faster and lighter than he ever has before. Orange magic makes him feel as if he's zooming in the air, faster than light, adrenaline running through his veins.

He winds up, punching hard into the creature, as flames spark in his other hand-

wait. Flames? Brandon knows he doesn't have fire magic... the flames flicker in his hand, dying, but the increasing volume of screams makes them spring back up again. He needs to be brave. He needs to _fight back._ Brandon's SOUL is glowing bright orange amongst the battlefield, as he and the monster take turns. Brandon dodges, zipping through attacks on his speed magic [which actually is normal, but he's usually not this good with it-] the wind blowing on his face. He hits the huge creature harder, burning at it.

The people are running away, and gradually, the other HEROES are joining the battle. Kris is taking control of the party, guiding them, but..

Brandon feels himself refusing to get into line. Part of it is the fact that he's stubborn, as usual, and wants to keep fighting. Part of it is something else, something unnatural.

"Brandon! Stop that!"

Brandon can feel a cold hand on his arm. Layla is grabbing his arm, trying to pull him away from the battle.

Brandon jerks away.

Layla scowls and grabs onto him, lifting Brandon up and putting him onto her shoulder.

"Ugh! Layla, let me go, I can handle this! _I'm strong enough!"_

_"You_ are going to get yourself hurt, you absolute idiot."

Kris is sighing, as _they_ have to dodge the attacks while Susie and Ralsei sit there waiting for their turn. And Brandon is kicking, and he feels overwhelmed. At least that kid got away alright- but he's angry, for getting taken from the thick of the fight..

The rest of the battle passes in a blur of anger, as blades swing and slash, and their magic creeps into the darkness.

Eventually, after it simultaneously trudges on forever and is over too soon, the battle is done. Kris passed out food- where do they keep all that, anyways?

'In my invisible bag of holding.' Kris signs, before collapsing. 'I'm done talking. I did so much goddamn talking today.'

"Language, Kris." Ralsei replies, earning a snicker from Susie.

Brandon is pretty sure Kris just rolled their eyes, but it's hard to tell with the bangs.

He himself is exhausted, but the energy of the fight is still sitting in his shoulders. No one was injured- aside from _this_ group, anyways. And the food is taking care of that, so Brandon doesn't mind.

Brandon nibbles on the cookie Kris handed him.

Layla sighs. 

"We need to get home, before sunset."

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

Brandon can feel the thrill of danger in the little things. Also fighting- maybe that's why he wanted to keep fighting even though it was dangerous. That helped, but it was more of a blind feeling just to.. fight. He's not sure.

But hiding in this closet inside of a closet, while someone searches the classroom. By the sound of their voice, they're looking for Brandon, Susie, and the rest of the gang. Mostly Susie. She skips school a lot from what he can hear. 

Light shines through a crack in the door, and Layla is standing stiff as a rod, trying to stand as far away from the others as possible. Which is hard, since this closet is _barely_ holding the four of them inside. Brandon just sighs and does his best to give everyone room.

Footsteps pass the closet. Brandon swears he could hear a pin drop. No one breathes. No one moves. It's dead quiet, and the world stops for a few moments.

The footsteps trail back towards the door.

"They are not in here.." a motherly voice trails off, and the door squeaks before shutting gently. The lights are turned off.

Layla bolts out of the closet, turning the light back on.

"Welcome home, m'dudes!" Brandon practically shouts. Kris winces, before holding up a finger to their mouth, glaring at him.

"They are right, we should really be quieter."

"You two are no fun." Brandon crosses his arms

"Well excuse me for not wanting us to get caught-" Layla scoffs back.

"Guys, guys. As much as I'm down to see a fight, I actually wanna do something for once. So get along, or as soon as we save the world I'll kick your asses."

"..fine, but only because I want to come back after we save everyone.." Layla trails off, as she walks out the door.

"..if we really have to, but I bet I could kick your ass back-"

"What was that, bitch?"

"N-nothing! Nothing, nothing."

"Don't worry, I would go easy on you."

Brandon pouts. "Don't patronize me!"

"But you're so patronizable."

"..damn you." He smiles, arms crossed.

"You seem chill, Brandon, better than the rest of those jocks anyways. If you were banned from free ham sandwich day, I'd find a way to steal us both some."

'Aw, that's a high compliment from Susie. C'mon S, let's go to Noelle's house. Mom's going to kill me for skipping school again...

you wanna come, Brandon?'

"Nah, I'm feeling sick bro. You guys goin' tomorrow?"

'Hell yeah.'

Brandon offers a fist bump. He gets a fist bump. Maybe today wasn't too bad..

He wanders outside, after gazing at some of the objects littered around the area curiously. This room seems darker than when he came in before, even with the lights on...

He spots his binder in the corner, put on top of a box, with a jar of black slime sitting on top of the binder itself. Papers are spilling out of the binder.

Brandon moves the slime, taking his binder happily. Finally got that stupid thing..

He _does_ feel sick, though.

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

Brandon knows he's hitting too hard.

So why can't he stop?

He shouldn't be doing this.

He shouldn't.

His SOUL is glowing orange in front of him, as he stands, feeling sick and sweaty and tired.

His sibling shouldn't be lying on the ground, unable to get up.

They're okay. They get up. They were just practicing wrestling. Everyone says it was an accident. It was okay.

Brandon knew he was hitting too hard.

His chest hurts. It hurts in a way he doesn't understand- it's not like the feeling of falling onto the ground, when you get all of the wind knocked out of you and people surround you, because you fell and you messed up. It isn't like when someone punches you in the chest either, knocking you against your locker. It isn't like the sting of anger, either. It just hurts.

He should've fought Charlie- another human could've handled his hits more..

He's brave, isn't he? That's what his SOULtrait is supposed to mean. Bravery. He's always been the stereotype of bravery.

Brandon goes to bed early. He climbs the ladder to his bed shakily. He hears his siblings climb in, one by one.

Brandon knew he was hitting too hard.

_ Why couldn't he stop? _

 

 

-•o•-

 

 

1 AM. Screaming. Too much pain. Fell out. He knew. The SOUL. It was there every time. A lot of pain. More screaming. He doesn't know how they're asleep. He stands. Reaches into his chest. Everything's burning.

 

Brandon hides his torn out SOUL among some of Mars' old coloring supplies and slams the bin shut. No more pain. Well, aside from falling out of his bunk bed.

 

Brandon breathes a sigh of relief. He won't hurt someone like that again.


End file.
